Stories can make your brand stand out in a saturated market.
Don’t think you’re interesting enough? You are. All your trials and errors and all your experiences create a unique story you can share with your prospects.
Authentic stories are relatable and gain empathy from your target audience, helping you connect with them.
Here are five ways you can tap into your story to build up your brand image.
Understand your personal story
Who are you? What do you do? Who is your audience? Why does your brand exist?
The answers to these questions should be a story. You can tell all sorts of stories. They can be entertaining and/or inspirational.
Have a clear vision of the story you want to tell, and make it meaningful so people can feel personally connected to it.
Explore the things you’ve done. Whether it’s sports, your job, your hobbies, or any other activities一these things can add to your personal story and enhance your brand.
A remarkable brand story connects to your own story and manages to be real and relatable enough so it can also be your customer’s story.
For example, if you have a diverse background, use it to connect with more audiences.
Articulate the story
Storytelling is a big piece of marketing you can add to your website or content. Yet, it’s a huge opportunity often underutilized by entrepreneurs who tend to focus on the features and solutions they offer.
People love stories. And they crave a genuine connection with brands. It’s like making new friends or having a new family. Think of your favorite restaurant or bank branch: people know your name, your favorites, your birthday… and you love it. The reason for that is the human connection.
Think about how you convey your story to form that human connection.
Once you piece your story together, see where your offering fits into the story. Know the purpose of the brand, and make sure it supports your mission. If you want a powerful brand story, form a sense of purpose beyond what you offer.
Tell your why
Stories are impactful and memorable. According to cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner, we are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it’s in a story.
Use your story to share information about your brand or your offerings with your customers.
For example, product description pages simply describe the product and materials. However, customers want to see why the products will matter to them.
Why are your products designed the way they are designed?
Why are you trying to solve this specific problem with your tool or service?
Your “why” can be inspired by your personal experiences. When customers have associated your products with your brand’s values and your motives to theirs, they are more likely to connect with you and choose you over your competitors.
Base your product on your story
Use storytelling to your advantage. Digitally native brands are crushing it these days because they know their stories. They didn’t build the products for the sake of building products. They built the products around their stories.
Use the story to advance your ultimate goal, but don’t get stuck in the story. Keep providing real value to your customers.
Find out about the customers you are selling to. What makes them tick, and what can you say—along with what you do—to connect with them?
What’s your brand story?
Stories are powerful. It’s how we evolved as a civilization – through story-telling. Stories remain a big part of digital marketing today. Your story sets your brand apart. If you can identify the “why” of the product, it will be easier to integrate and create the “what” and “how.”
In the end, it’s not simply about selling to the customer. It’s reassuring your customers through your story that the products or services you offer can contribute to their lives in a positive way and solve their problems.
